I'll pick up the pieces & put them back together
by SarcasticQueen2013
Summary: When Joshua Matthews stands Maya up she goes to Lucas and the two talk about some interesting things. Story better than summary. lucaya, mentions of riarkle


"He stood me up."

"What?"

"Josh. Josh stood me up. I waited there for an hour. I feel so fucking stupid," Maya says finally looking up at me her blue eyes full of hurt and all red and puffy. Her curly hair is drenched and so is her Rolling Stones shirt. Somehow her skinny jeans stayed dry but her boots didn't.

I seriously want to hunt Joshua Matthews down and hurt the hell out of him. Maya was so excited about the date and talked about it for weeks and now he hurt her. But instead, I bring Maya into my arms and hug her tightly and she cries into my chest.

After a while I pull back from her a little and ask, "Why didn't you go to Riley?"

"He's her uncle and I don't want to create family drama and she'd hug me a lot and tell me it'll me okay and put on sappy movies."

"What about Farkle?"

"He's good at the whole comforting thing but he's dating Riley and he'd tell her. Besides he's Farkle and he'd probably jokingly flirt with me to make me laugh but I would feel weirded out and tempted to punch him."

I laughed at that. She was starting to sound like herself again. "So why me?"

"I don't know actually. Maybe I thought Bucky McBoing Boing countriness could help."

I smiled at her, "I'll always help you."

She smiled back at me but still seemed sad. I let go of her and went upstairs to my room grabbing her blue studded NYC hoodie she left here one day after tutoring. I turned around about to go downstairs but Maya was already leaning against my doorway now shorter since she took her boots off and standing in socks..

"Do you still love her?"

"Who? Riley?" I ask as I hand her the hoodie.

"Yeah, Riley," she says in a _duh_ tone. She slips off her shirt so she's in a black bra and I can't help but stare. "Like something you see?" she ask , smirking and slips on the hoodie.

I ignore the question and say, "I don't love her anymore at least not in that way. I love her like a sister."

She nods her head. "I can't help but see that you're still shirtless."

I look down and remember that I didn't put shirt on. I see her staring at my abs and ask, "You like what you see?" in the same tone she did earlier. Then I grab a black hoodie off my bed slipping it on.

"Anyway, why do you ask if I still love her?"

She shrugged as she walked across my room and sat at my window seat pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

I sat next to her. "Maya," I say tentatively.

"Am I stupid?"

"What? No, why wo-"

"Am I ugly?"

"No, you're actually very beautiful."

She shot up from her sitting position screaming, "Then why did he stand me up? Why?"

I stand up also. "Because he's a dumbass."

"Lucas-"

"He is. Anyone who would stand you up is a dumbass. If I asked you out I would never stand you up."

She looked at me surprised. "If you asked me out?"

"Rhetorically."

"I know, but would you."

"I...I don't know."

"I asked you out once, Sundance."

"You didn't mean it, Clutterbucket," I remind her remembering she did it for Riley and I.

"What if I did?"

That catches me off guard. "Did you?"

"Back in seventh grade?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you-"

"You and Riley."

"So? That doesn't mean-"

She cuts me off and says all in one breath, "I didn't want to hurt her and I knew you didn't like me, I mean I know you care about me but you would never date me and-"

"I would."

My turn to catch her off guard. "What?" she ask quietly.

"I would date you."

She glares at me. "You're just fucking with me aren't you, you fucking asshole."

"I'm not fucking with you, Maya."

She crosses her arms. "Why?"

"You're smart, loyal, beautiful and you draw the most amazing things. You're you. I've known you since the seventh grade but I feel like I've know you my whole life. You tease me and pick fights and make me laugh. And I think I love you."

Her expression softens. Then she walks towards me so there's no space between us and stands on her toes and kiss me. I kiss her back and place one hand through her hair and the other on the low of her back and she wraps her arms around my neck.

I pull away way too soon rest my forehead against hers. "I think I love you, too," she says softly.

I smile at her then kiss her again. I bend down a bit and pick her up, her legs wrapping automatically around my waist and her arms around my neck tighten just a bit.

I'm the one to pull away again and set her down. "Clutterbucket, will you go out with me?"

She flips her behind her dramatically and says, "I think I will, Ranger Rick."

Then she grips my hoodie and pulls me back down to kiss her. Not that I'm complaining. I don't think I ever will."

...

When I walk into history Monday afternoon I see something on my desk. As I sit I realize it's a drawing. A girl with curly hair is on a boys back and both are smiling. A rose is drawn in the girls hand. At the top it says, "You draw the most amazing things." and at the bottom, "I think I love you." "I think I love you, too." I flip it over and see that she wrote something. _I once picked up your pieces and put them together and now you picked up mine and put them together. _I smile as I realize she's talking about when Riley and I broke up and Maya helped cheer me up when I was sad.

Speaking of Maya, she walks into class with Riley and Farkle who are holding hand and they're all smiling. She takes her rightful place in front of me as Mr. Matthews, who somehow followed us all the way to eleventh grade, started the lesson.

At the end of class we trail after Riley and Farkle, who are holding hands again and giggling, to the café and I wrap an arm around Maya's shoulder.

"You okay now?"

"As long as I got you, I'll be better than okay."


End file.
